So, I was reading this article on Cracked (link below), and it gave me an idea. Suppose that, way before the SCP was founded, SCP-096 was terrorizing France and subsequently locked up in the Bastille with an iron mask that covered his face to prevent more killings. The identity of the historical man in the iron mask is unknown as far as I know, so I feel like this could be plausible.

I'm thinking of formatting the tale as a diary entries from a jailer at the Bastille who who came to find out the man in the iron mask's true nature. The last entry would be the jailer somehow accidentally seeing SCP-096's face and subsequently taking off from the prison in an effort to escape. SCP-096 would follow and break out of the jail as a result. To avoid causing a panic, the French government would simply state that the prisoner died in custody (as actually happened in real life).

Could this work? I'd obviously need to do alot of research to make it historically accurate, and figured I'd get input on the general idea first.

The idea is interesting, but I don't see how 096 could "pass" for a human in an iron mask. It's nearly 8 feet tall, thin as a rail, and the limb proportions are way off. Even if you put it in a mask, any observer would know right away that it isn't human. If you saw it in a mask, your reaction would not be "what is behind that guy's mask?", but rather "what is that thing in the first place?".

My thinking was he'd be placed in solitary confinement, with at most only a very small window. The only time anyone would see him was when he was hustled out of the carriage or whatever, through the prison, and into the cell. 096 would be wrapped in a heavy cloak or something to disguise the odd limb proportions. That way, only a few people would get a glimpse of 096, and I feel its plausible they'd write it off as a really tall, somewhat deformed human (especially since science wasn't as good back then). Obviously, a select handful of guards and prison officials would have to be aware of 096's true nature.

After 096 busts out, they kill all the prisoners who witnessed it escaping and intimidate the guards and other witnesses into silence.

Now my biggest concern is the actual history behind it. The Bastille was not a prison for people who were very dangerous(It wasn't a prison at all, really; rather, it was a fortress and armory that held prisoners). It was a prison for people who were very rich and very powerful and very important who were imprisoned in luxury. Think "White Collar Minimum Security", not "Alcatraz". That being said, I find the idea of 096 being the Man in the Iron Mask interesting enough to overlook this. Conceivably, a very dangerous… thing would be kept with a bunch of soldiers near it in a very innocuous setting so as not to alarm the public(or, indeed, the guards).

That being said, read all you can about the inner workings of the Bastille if you haven't already. I have a minor in military history, PM me if you need to know anything.